Rarotonga revisited....

Arrived to some warmth, humidity and sunshine but alas....no ability to post pictures....have tried a few cafes and this one I am at currently, was my last resort....supposedly the most modern and quickest internet connections on the island......I was here 18 years ago and again 8 years ago and this island is most certainly in a time warp....nothing has changed in the slightest...I could find my way everywhere with my eyes closed :) No new commercial, hotels, motels, shops or cafes to speak of....how does a place so beautiful maintain this lack of progress in a world consumed with it.......there is a word for this in just about every warm country in the world....bukra inshallah, manana, island time.....all comes down to slowing down the western mentality to a crawl is not standstill! All good and I was more than ready to leave my tourist self behind in Auckland and leave the "must do, should see, should experience" self for a "just be" self.....kind of enforced on one here, but most pleasantly so :) ..... saw a yoga mat in a store that I shall purchase before chugging along back to my tiny little motel room by the sea, in a bus that I know I sat in twenty years ago.... I asked my bus driver if Rarotonga ever purchased new buses ..... he laughed and said he thinks he has driven the very same one now for at least twenty years.....how is this possible??? Fortunately, should it break down, this island has some of the most friendly helpful people on the planet and someone would always offer a ride....this happened to me years ago and again this morning when out for a morning walk....did I mention that obesity is a major problem here in Rarotonga and a lot of the Maori people of these islands are quite huge, but as in America and Canada, there is now a focus on educating people about their eating habits and lack of exercise. I discovered a new exercise movement in New Zealand which has of course hit Raro as well.....Zumba!!! Totally looks like a fun workout and will get into it when I find a tape somewhere to follow along with! (Sarah, you should look into it....I know you and Jen would love it!) It is so green here, the vegetation so lush and I am inhaling it at every opportunity......I believe this is what Hawaii, lovely as it is, may have been once upon a time, before it morphed into such an overpopulated tourist destination :) I have a few quiet days to myself before the group all arrive Saturday morning.....totally looking forward to it.....I watched a school dance and song competition in the "town square" (bare in mind the whole island only has 13,000 or so people) ...... there were perhaps 50 - 100 people watching at various times during the performances......mostly parents of the children, teachers and a scattering of tourists......all the singing was in Maori....and oh my, there was drumming!! I was transported to rhythm heaven and wished to goodness I could sing along in Maori.....I will keep my eyes open for some computer dude who may help me post.....if we can find a computer that will accept my USB device! Kia Orana, Seija